The Eagle ***

“The Eagle” is certainly not in league with films like “Spartacus” but at the very least it tells a good old fashioned story and it is not over stuffed with incomprehensive, nonstop action. I was happy to see physical sets, extras in costume and overall good production values. Enjoy it while you can because it is becoming a rarity.

Channing Tatum is becoming a fairly interesting actor. I thought he was not going to be able to break away from roles like “Dear John” and “Step Up”. He has the physical presence and the chops to convince me that he is a roman warrior and that was good enough for me.

The director of “The Eagle” is Kevin MacDonald, who also directed “The Last King Of Scotland” and “State Of Play”. You get the sense with his three directorial efforts that he is not so interested in over produced, big budget films. He seems old fashioned and likes to tell stories about characters who some might say are outdated. I just hope he stays the course.